R.J. Grey Junior High School

Good afternoon,

Happy February to you all! Each morning, I leave the house with my two youngest daughters. On the way out the door this morning, my 5-year-old  asked if we could go sledding soon. She’s right - we haven’t gone to any local hills to sled yet this year. I am hopeful the sun will return this weekend to be able to enjoy a bit of the snow before it’s gone. And I am hopeful that with one more year under her belt, she can walk back up the hill on her own to avoid me carrying her!

Our Ski and Board club is halfway through its season. With cold enough temperatures and some natural snow, they’ve had better conditions than recent years. If you drive your child to school, I am ever grateful for your patience on Tuesday mornings. I know our regular drop-off routine can get slowed down by all the gear that gets brought into school on those days. We have considered alternative drop-off strategies to keep things moving, but we worry those will actually make the impact worse and slow down traffic even more. If you do drop off, regardless of the day of the week, please pull as far forward as possible (up to the car in front of you, or as far forward as Mr. Zhang!) to allow additional cars to pull in behind you. If you stop right at the stairs or even earlier, we prevent at least 3 or 4 cars from pulling in. 

Next week is National School Counselor Week. We have four excellent counselors here at RJ Grey, plus three great school psychologists. They are all busy this week and next with teaching lessons on the Signs of Suicide in 7th grade classes. If you have had experience working with our counselors, next week, or really any time, is a good week to thank them!

As I noted, we started SOS this week. I taught the lesson to Ms. Kulkarni’s homeroom on Tuesday morning. It’s only on rare occasions nowadays that I get to teach full class periods. My class was great - they were all interested in the topic, asked great questions, and had thoughtful responses. The main focus of our SOS work is to have students remember a simple acronym, ACT: Acknowledge, Care, and Tell (a trusted adult). I find that the acronym is universal to lots of situations but is highly applicable to a situation when an adolescent is concerned about a friend who might be feeling depressed, upset, or in the worst case, suicidal. We talk with students about the differences between sadness and depression, we alert them to warning signs for depression, and we ask them to think about who a trusted adult is for them. While we hope all RJ Grey students have at least one trusted adult at school (89% report they currently do), we know that almost all of them are more likely to have someone they trust in their homes (93% report that they do). One of the vignettes presented in the SOS video is between two middle-school aged boys. And while one of the boys is resistant to talking to his own mother because she has so much going on, the friend offers up his own mom as someone who could help. Please know that many of you may be a trusted adult for kids who aren’t even in your own family! Kids certainly know who they can trust, so please be open if a student needs to talk to you about something important.

Next Wednesday, February 7th from 6 - 7:30 pm, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School is hosting their annual Transition to ABRHS Night for parents and caregivers of current 8th graders. The high school administrators, department leaders, and students will talk about life at the high school. Our 8th graders already met with reps from the high school in the fall, and we’ll take them for a tour later this spring. Please mark your calendars for this important event.

Upcoming Dates

• Mon, Feb 5: Library closed to students after school

• Tues, Feb 6: 7 Red SOS Lesson

• Tues, Feb 6: Ski Club Session #4

• Tues, Feb 6: School Council Meeting at  7 pm

• Tues, Feb 6: Cartwheel Care Seminar

• Wed, Feb 7: Transition to ABRHS Night for 8th grade families

• Thurs, Feb 8: 7 Green SOS Lesson

• Sat, Feb 10: Budget Saturday, 8:15 - 3:30

• Mon, Feb 12: Early Release, 1 pm

• Thurs, Feb 15: End of Round 3 for PE/Health classes

• Fri, Feb 16: Blue and Gold Day

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim

Good afternoon,

We’ve had some great student events recently at RJ Grey. Last Friday, we hosted hundreds of students for our annual Summer Fun in Winter event. Students had pre-registered their 6-person volleyball teams to compete. Most were complete with themed uniforms, and all had plenty of spirit. While not everyone played in a game, many more students and staff came to watch and have a good time. Huge thanks to our Student Council Advisor, Ms. Ahl for pulling off this event. And another huge thanks to all of the families who donated food and drinks, along with those that staffed the small gym, which served as snack central! 

Last night, we had an awesome Chorus and Orchestra concert. The 7th and 8th grade Choruses and Orchestras all performed 2 - 3 pieces each. With another packed house and enthusiastic crowd, the students were well supported by their families and friends. To check out a few clips of last night’s performances, check out our RJ Grey Instagram page (@rjgreyjhs) to see videos posted later today.

Trimester 2 Interim Reports were emailed yesterday. As a reminder, not every student receives an Interim. We reserve these reports for students whose averages fall below a C-, or for another reason that a teacher deems necessary. As both a principal and a parent, I don’t like surprises. We ask our teachers to err on the side of caution and send communication if homework, participation, or other areas need improvement. If you have any question about the Interim after speaking to your child, please be in touch with the classroom teacher. Trimester 2 ends on Friday, March 8, so there is plenty of time to make any adjustments for the remainder of this term.

There is a Cartwheel Care seminar coming up on February 6 for any interested caregiver. This month’s session is titled: Recognizing and Treating OCD and Tic Disorders in Children and Adolescents. See the information below if you’re interested in learning more:

Cartwheel Care Webinar: Recognizing and Treating OCD and Tic Disorders in Children and Adolescents

Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Time: 7:00-8:00 PM

Registration: LINK

Tics can be the tip of the iceberg of other co-occurring conditions (including OCD, anxiety, and ADHD) that may affect children’s ability to live to their full potential. Join Cartwheel and Erica Greenberg, MD to learn how OCD and tic disorders present in youth, how symptoms can be impairing (or not), how to seek professional help, and best practices for treatment. 

Can't make it? Register and we will email you a recording of the session. This virtual event is part of Cartwheel's free webinar series for our community's parents, caregivers, and school staff. English, Spanish, and Portuguese flyers here.

Lastly, we have an early release this Monday (1/29/24). You’ll note that we haven’t had an early release Monday since the beginning of December. We took feedback from families last year that in the months with an already choppy schedule, it was difficult to manage additional early release days. As a result, the Junior High reduced the number of these early release days to ten. Our staff uses these days to work collaboratively on curriculum, family communication, and other topics to best plan for your children. The remaining early releases are listed here:

• Monday, January 29

• Monday, February 12

• Monday, March 4

• Monday, March 18

• Monday, April 29

• Monday, May 20

Upcoming Dates

• Mon, Jan 29: Early Release at 1 pm

• Tues, Jan 30: 7 Gold SOS Lesson

• Tues, Jan 30: Ski Club Session #3

• Thurs, Feb 1: 7 Blue SOS Lesson

• Mon, Feb 5: Library closed to students after school

• Tues, Feb 6: 7 Red SOS Lesson

• Tues, Feb 6: Ski Club Session #4

• Tues, Feb 6: School Council Meeting at  7 pm

• Tues, Feb 6: Cartwheel Care Seminar

• Wed, Feb 7: Transition to ABRHS Night for 8th grade families

• Thurs, Feb 8: 7 Green SOS Lesson

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim

Good afternoon,

If you were at the Band Concert last night, I’m sure you’ll agree that it was a great show! I was hugely impressed with our Jazz Band, and our 7th and 8th grade Bands. They were totally ready to put on a great show. My oldest child is in the 4th grade and is learning to play the flute. We encourage her to practice but sometimes other activities are preferred. It was obvious to me last night that our students practice at home! We have more than 130 students who take Band at RJ Grey. They, along with their teachers Ms. Dye and Mr. Soo made us proud last night!

You’ve likely gotten emails from our Yearbook publisher about signing up for a yearbook. If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook for your child this year, please make sure to sign up now. While books aren’t delivered until June, the orders are placed now. Please don’t miss out!

Last week, I shared a few of the answers from our recent student survey. This week, I’m sharing a few more that relate to students’ feelings about their teachers and our school. Overall, we are pleased with the results that came through because they affirm the work we’ve been doing.

We asked students to rate their response to “I feel a sense of connection and belonging with my team.” Students could choose an answer somewhere between Strongly Disagree and Strongly Agree. 94.9% of students Agree in some way, broken down in this way: Somewhat Agree (23.3% ), Agree (41.7% ) or Strongly Agree (29.9%). You know that we are organized into 8 teams at RJ Grey. We feel that the team model helps our large school feel smaller for our students. As a result, we get to know our students well, and we make easier connections with our students’ families, too. We also know that students form close relationships with their teammates. These are the students that they attend classes with, eat lunch with, and study with. We value our team-based model at RJ Grey.

We asked students if they have a trusted adult at RJ Grey - 89% said “yes.” 77.5% of students identified that one or more of their team teachers is a trusted adult for them. This makes a lot of sense to us. Students see their team teachers every day and have plenty of time to get to know them and have positive interactions. While others in the building, including off-team teachers, advisors, counselors, and administrators play a role in forming relationships with students, none of us have the regular everyday interactions that team teachers have.

Finally, for those keeping track, with last week’s snow day, our last day of school is currently Friday, June 14. I share this now because some families may be thinking about summer plans. If we have additional snow days, the last day of school extends further out based on two holidays in June. If we are still in session, we will not have school on Monday, June 17 (Eid al-Adha) or Wednesday, June 19 (Juneteenth). With another snow day or two, we could be extending our year by more than just a calendar day or two. The ABRSD calendar is located here if you have any questions as you make plans for the summer.

Upcoming Dates

• Fri, Jan 19: Summer Fun in Winter event, 3:00 - 4:30

• Fri, Jan 19: Hawaiian Shirt and Bright Colors Day at RJ Grey

• Mon, Jan 22: Last day for Quarter 2 and Semester 1 classes

• Tues, Jan 23: Ski/Board Club Session #3 after school

• Wed, Jan 24: JH Winter Chorus/Orchestra Concert,  7 pm

• Mon, Jan 29: Early Release at 1 pm

• Tues, Jan 30: 7 Gold SOS Lesson

• Thurs, Feb 1: 7 Blue SOS Lesson

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim

Good afternoon,

I hope you all fared well with the wild weather over the past week. With significant snow and a surprise snow day, lots of rain Tuesday night, and temps in the 40s yesterday, it was refreshing to be dry and simply cold at this morning’s drop-off. 

This morning, I sent a message to all 7th grade parents/guardians about our Signs of Suicide (SOS) program. That message includes all of the important information about  the program, so please check it out. There could be a chance you are reading this Eye on the Junior High message and you’re wondering why you’re a 7th grade parent and didn’t yet receive the SOS message. It’s likely because you either haven’t set up your Parent Square account yet, or you have preferences that default to sending messages as a “digest” late in the day. If that set-up works for you, great. If you’d rather see messages from the school in more real-time, I encourage you to explore Parent Square a bit. Please reach out if you need us to resend an invitation to your account.

In December, we had our students spend a few minutes taking a survey about their RJ Grey experience. Hearing from students only helps us, and in many cases, confirms that what we’re working on matters. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share a few of the response results.

You know we care very much that each of our kids has an adult they can trust at school if they need help with something. Last year, we ended the year with 81% of our students saying they had a trusted adult. This December, 89% of our kids reported that they have a trusted adult. We are very pleased with the increase this year. 

We also ask students if they have an adult outside of school, and as predicted, that number is higher. It is clear that a strong majority of our students feel supported by adults both in and outside of school. 

The third item to share today, and one that I will keep to show 6th grade families in the spring, is that 97% of our students report making new friends this year. While we are certainly focused on learning content, skills, reading, writing, and critical thinking, we also care that kids come to school and make strong connections with peers. Our students clearly told us that they’re making friends, which I hope you hear about at home!

Upcoming Dates
Monday, Jan 15: No School, MLK Jr Day
Tuesday, Jan 16: Ski/Board Club Session #2 after school
Wed, Jan 17: JH Winter Band Concert, 7 pm
Fri, Jan 19: Summer Fun in Winter event, 3:00 - 4:30
Fri, Jan 19: Hawaiian Shirt Day at RJ Grey
Mon, Jan 22: Last day for Quarter 2 and Semester 1 classes
Tues, Jan 23: Ski/Board Club Session #3 after school
Wed, Jan 24: JH Winter Chorus/Orchestra Concert,  7 pm

Take care and have a great weekend!

Jim

Good afternoon,

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and healthy holiday season. My family had a great Christmas, mostly spent close to home. At some point during the week, every one of us had one virus or another, and from what I hear from kids and teachers, the same is likely true in your house. Aside from eating too much throughout the week, I read a book for fun (!), went running a few times, and listened to a great podcast, too. The Big Dig is a 9-episode podcast from WGBH, detailing Boston’s decades-long major infrastructure project through the city. I know I’m not the only nerd who liked it, as it’s rated quite highly. I listened throughout the week as I cleaned the house, made dinner, or performed other mindless tasks. If you like Boston history from the last few decades or if you wonder how major projects get completed, I recommend giving it a shot!

Later in January, we’ll be using our Advisory to have students push “reset” on their year. I’d encourage you to ask your RJ Grey student if there are areas where they might focus some attention in the new year. For some students, it’s remembering to bring their charged Chromebook. For others, getting to school on time is where their area of focus needs to be. If your child’s goals are to work harder, perform better in a class, or read on a more regular basis, please let us know how we can offer support. 

I want to thank our PTSO, and subsequently, all of you, for offering a kind token of thanks before the December break. The PTSO gave each of our staff members a gift card to Dunkin’, along with a few candies. We are so grateful to be remembered throughout the year by our PTSO. They have financially supported us this year with our student plan books, Revolution t-shirts, and student council events. If you haven’t yet financially supported the PTSO this year, feel free to do so on their website. They’re a great partner and we appreciate their support!

Upcoming Dates

• Monday, Jan 8: Library closed after school

• Tuesday, Jan 9: Ski/Board Club Session #1 after school

• Tuesday, Jan 9: School Council Mtg in RJG Library, 7 pm

• Monday, Jan 15: No School, MLK Jr Day

• Tuesday, Jan 16: Ski/Board Club Session #2 after school

• Wed, Jan 17: JH Winter Band Concert, 7 pm

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim

Good afternoon,

The volume and level of excitement at RJ Grey have grown steadily this week. In our classrooms, the halls, and the lunchroom, one can tell that something fun is coming! I bet you are experiencing the same at your home. I hope you are looking forward to next week with the same intensity as our students. If you celebrate a winter holiday, I hope it’s a fun one - even better if you get to have some time away from your own work routines.

I came across the poem below through some of my own professional learning this year. As is the case with most poems, the reader can interpret parts of it how they wish. In light of the vacation and a hopeful respite on the horizon, the idea of creating space in order for our flames to grow stronger resonates with me. Personally, some time away from RJ Grey will help to create the breathing space that will lead to a stronger fire in 2024. I know the same can be said about our staff and our students. 

FIRE

What makes a fire burn

is space between the logs,

a breathing space.

Too much of a good thing, 

too many logs

packed in too tight

can douse the flames

almost as surely 

as a pail of water would.

So building fires

requires attention 

to the spaces in between,

as much as to the wood.

When we are able to build 

open spaces 

in the same way 

we have learned 

to pile on the logs, 

then we can come to see how 

it is fuel, and absence of the fuel 

together, that make fire possible.

We only need to lay a log 

lightly from time to time. 

A fire 

grows 

simply because the space is there, 

with openings 

in which the flame 

that knows just how it wants to burn 

can find its way.

-Judy Brown

I hope you are able to relax with friends and family over the coming days. I look forward to the New Year and the new things that will come our way. 

Upcoming Dates

• Friday, Dec 22: Early Release at 11:10 am 

• Tuesday, Jan 2: School Reopens for 2024

• Monday, Jan 8: Library closed after school

• Tuesday, Jan 9: Ski/Board Club Session #1 after school

• Tuesday, Jan 9: School Council Mtg in RJG Library

• Monday, Jan 15: No School, MLK Jr Day

• Tuesday, Jan 16: Ski/Board Club Session #2 after school

• Wed, Jan 17: JH Winter Band Concert, 7 pm

Take care and have a great week!
Jim

Good morning,

I hope you are all doing well. We are in the busy stretch of school days before our upcoming vacation. As such, this will be a pretty short update! 

We’ve noticed an uptick in cases of Covid at RJ Grey in the past two weeks or so. Many of these cases have been with staff members, but we’ve also seen an increase in our students, too. When someone tests positive, the CDC and Mass Dept of Health require a 5-day isolation period. If your child tests positive, please be in touch with our nurses, and we can help give guidance about when your child can return to school. 

We have a full week next week, with an early dismissal at 11:10 on Friday, 12/22. If your travel plans include heading out of town before next Friday at 11:10, and your child will miss school at some point, please be in touch with our Main Office. While your child may tell their teachers that they’ll be out, it is important to let the Main Office know too, so that we know who to expect each day. You can write to us at [email protected].

Upcoming Dates

• Friday, Dec 22: Early Release at 11:10 am 

• Tuesday, Jan 2: School Reopens for 2024

• Monday, Jan 8: Library closed after school

• Tuesday, Jan 9: Ski/Board Club Session #1 after school

• Tuesday, Jan 9: School Council Mtg in RJG Library

• Monday, Jan 15: No School, MLK Jr Day

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim

Good afternoon,

I hope you are all doing well. I want to start by putting in another plug for our annual Coat Drive and our Toys for Tots drive. Both are currently accepting donations through next Friday (12/15). If you have a used, warm coat that you’re looking to get rid of, we’ll take it! And the same applies for unused, unwrapped toys. Feel free to drop off any items, or send them with your children over the next week. We have drop-off locations in the main lobby.

This week in Advisory, we talked a bit about empathy. We defined empathy as the understanding of or the ability to identify with another person’s feelings or experiences. Each month, we have a lesson or two that shift the focus of the group to a learning or discussion topic. We find that some middle schoolers are the walking definitions of empathy - kind, considerate, thoughtful, and interested in others around them. Others could benefit from lessons on why empathy matters, especially as a member of a community.

After reviewing the definition, together we completed an empathy “quiz” where students self identified where they strongly agree, agree, disagree, etc. with a series of statements. Statements like “I easily feel sad when the people around me feel sad” or “When I’m upset at someone, I usually try to put myself in their shoes for a while” led to a good conversation in my group. We wrestled with the idea that it’s not always easy to think like someone else, especially when you’re upset with that person. I shared that I can strongly agree with many of these statements in my “work life” but may have a different response if I considered my personal life. All of this is to say that we continue to use our Advisory program to have fun and create strong relationships, and to also connect some social-emotional skills in small and concrete ways. If the topic of empathy comes up at home, you can expect that your 7th or 8th grader might have something to share!

With the upcoming vacation and holiday season, I know some of you have considered or have even already made plans for giving gifts to teachers. My own wife has done all the planning for small tokens of appreciation for my kids’s teachers, dance teachers, bus drivers, etc. However, I want to be clear that no RJ Grey teacher expects gifts and no family should ever feel obligated to provide one! I would recommend, if you have a few moments, that a kind email or word of thanks to a teacher goes quite a long way, whether around the holidays or at any time of the year! If you are committed to giving a gift, please know that there are state ethics laws that limit gifts that teachers, coaches, and staff are permitted to receive. School staff cannot accept gifts from a single family that amount to $50 or more in value for the entire school year. 

Upcoming Dates

• Friday, Dec 8: Report cards emailed home

• Friday, Dec 15: Formal Dress Day at RJ Grey

• Friday, Dec 22: Early Release at 11:10 am 

• Tuesday, Jan 2: School Reopens for 2024

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim

Good afternoon,

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving and long weekend. My family had plenty to eat over the weekend and decent weather to go along with it. We now have about three weeks of school until our first extended vacation of the year. 

Next week you’ll receive a Trimester 1 report card. Trimester one closed this week. Now we give teachers some time to calculate grades and provide comments for report cards. Then we take a few days to compile everything and prepare the actual documents that will be emailed to you on Friday, December 8th. When you see the report card, if there is a question about how something was calculated, or the meaning of a comment, I would ask you to start a conversation with your child. If that doesn’t yield an answer that seems right, please reach out to the specific teacher to check in. The first trimester at RJ Grey is a complicated one since we spend plenty of time early in the term getting used to routines, getting to know expectations for the grade levels, and taking several assessments. The subsequent terms likely include more grades that come as the result of assessments of reading, writing, and other learning.

As I’ve noted earlier this year, RJ Grey is a strong community that steps up when asked to help. Just today, we read our initial announcements about two collection drives we have started. Our student council hosts an annual Coat Drive to benefit Coats for Kids. If you have any gently used coats in your closets that would benefit from finding a new home, we’ll take them off your hands! Adults or students can bring coats to our Lobby from now through December 15 for donations. That same time period applies to our annual Toys for Tots drive where we collect new, unused, and unwrapped toys. Both drives are open through December 15 - thank you for considering how you might be able to contribute.

I have heard rave reviews from teachers who went to last night’s Rock of Ages musical at RJ Grey! I will be in the audience tonight. I’m hearing that if you like 80s music, you will love this show. We have performances Friday and Saturday night at 7 pm and on Sunday at 2 pm. Tickets are available at the door. Thank you to anyone who can come support our students!

Upcoming Dates

• Thurs, Nov 30 - Sunday Dec 3: Rock of Ages Musical at RJ Grey

• Mon, Dec 4: Early Release at 1 pm

• Mon, Dec 4: Coat Drive and Toys for Tots Drive begin

• Friday, Dec 8: Report cards emailed home

• Friday, Dec 15: Formal Dress Day at RJ Grey

• Friday, Dec 22: Early Release at 11:10 am 

• Tuesday, Jan 2: School Reopens for 2024

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim

Good afternoon,

On Monday afternoon, from behind my desk, I heard the phone ring in the Main Office and I heard Christine say, “Let me see if I can find him.” That means that she’s either looking for me or Mr. Zhang, our male assistant principal. She was looking for me, and said I had to go to Pam Reeves’ class and didn’t know why. Not having any more info, I grabbed my phone and walkie talkie, left the office, crossed the lobby,  and entered Room 408 quickly, thinking something must be wrong - Mrs. Reeves never needs help! There waiting was her T5 Spanish class…21 8th graders… ready to sing Happy Birthday, in Spanish, to me. My birthday was, in fact, on Monday and watching them sing in Spanish (I was a Spanish teacher) was quite a nice moment. We have really great kids here at RJ Grey who together suggest and agree to sing to their principal on his birthday. I do feel very lucky to be a member of this community.

This week in Advisory, we are talking with students about communication and specifically, understanding the difference between intent and impact. This is a concept we often talk about in response to situations here at school, so I appreciate that we are attempting to be proactive in our efforts. Part of the mini-lessons include a few middle school-type scenarios. Our students’ task in between Tuesday’s advisory and Thursday’s advisory was to watch for situations where someone’s intent was different from the subsequent impact. We continue to use Advisory to talk about skills, in this case, social awareness and communication. 

Our school musical is opening up after Thanksgiving. Rock of Ages: Youth Edition will be a great show if you have a chance to come see it. We’ll have 7 pm shows on November 30, December 1 and 2, and a 2 pm matinee on December 3rd. Our students have been working on this show since September, along with our dedicated staff advisors. We hope you’ll come join us and have a great time!

We will be entering our winter sports season, starting after Thanksgiving. Please find the tryout schedule here. Please make sure you have completed the Family ID page, and make sure your child has an up-to-date physical on file with our Health Office. Please send any questions to our Junior High Athletic Director, Jon Duclos: [email protected].

Since next Thursday is Thanksgiving, I won’t write to you again until November 30. If you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have safe travels and an enjoyable holiday. I am excited to see my family and have a great meal, complete with leftovers, I hope!

Upcoming Dates

• Wednesday, November 22: Early Release for Thanksgiving (11:10 am)

• Thurs/Friday, Nov 23 and 24: No School for Thanksgiving Holiday

• Wed Nov 29: End of Trimester 1

• Thurs, Nov 30 - Sunday Dec 3: Rock of Ages Musical at RJ Grey

• Mon, Dec 4: Coat Drive Begins

Take care and have a great weekend!
Jim